The Georgia trooper involved in a lethal encounter with a leftist militant was cleared of wrongdoing after he himself had been shot in the gut near Atlanta’s “Cop City.”
For the better part of a year, a special prosecutor has been investigating an officer-involved shooting that took place near the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in DeKalb County’s South River Forest, a focal point of violent protesters and domestic terrorists.
On Friday, Mountain Circuit District Attorney Pro Tempore George R. Christian released a 31-page report detailing the actions of Georgia State Patrol and other participants in the operation that ultimately led to the death of 26-year-old Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, and found no wrongdoing on the part of Trooper Jerry Parrish.
“Looking at the totality of the circumstances, including being shot by Teran, his decision to use lethal (deadly) force was objectively reasonable and he did not act with any criminal intent. No criminal charges will be brought against Trooper Parrish as he did not commit any criminal offense,” concluded Christian.
As had been reported in January, during a multi-agency operation aimed at clearing the woods surrounding the facility where Antifa-affiliated militants had camped out establishing forward operating positions, troopers had come across Teran’s tent.
“Officers gave verbal commands to the man who did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper,” a release said at the time. “Other law enforcement officers returned fire, hitting the man. Law enforcement evacuated the Trooper to a safe area.”
Armed leftist protester killed by Georgia police after shooting an officer is identified https://t.co/yQovk87pkw pic.twitter.com/gJWSytmO1a
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) January 21, 2023
After disregarding commands, non-lethal pepper balls were fired into the tent by officers prompting return fire from inside the tent, resulting in one of four rounds striking Parrish “in the body below his armor plate and above his belt on his right side,” before it stopped “lodged adjacent to his spine.”
Christian’s investigation concluded based on analysis of legal precedent, “considering the severity of the crimes, Aggravated Assault, Felony Obstruction and Hindering, Attempted Murder, and Possession of a Firearm During Commission of these Crimes committed by Teran, Teran was an immediate threat to Parrish and his fellow Troopers,” justifying the 57 rounds fired in response.
“Teran was actively resisting arrest. Parrish’s actions also comport with the Eleventh Circuit case law, and under the circumstances, it was not feasible for Parrish or any other Trooper to issue a warning before returning fire,” the report added.
In response to Teran’s death, violent protests escalated related to the facility dubbed “Cop City,” including a riot in downtown Atlanta where six of 19 individuals arrested on domestic terrorism charges within a month’s time had been taken into custody.
Reacting to the report that Parrish and his fellow troopers present at the time, Ronaldo Kegel, Mark Lamb, Bryland Myers, Jonathan Salcedo and Royce Zah, had been justified in their actions, the attorney representing Teran’s family, Jeff Filipovits, decried the lack of a full release of the evidence.
He told WSB-TV, “If there is nothing to hide, then show us the evidence. We were told that once the DA’s report was released, the GBI would release all of the underlying evidence. But now, the District Attorney has stated that his office will not produce the underlying evidence.”
Teran’s father, Joel Paez added, “Release the file now. No more excuses.”
Meanwhile, some of his fellow activists spun their own narrative and the group Defend the Atlanta Forest posted to X, “The DA has ruled that it was ‘objectively reasonable’ to kill Tortuguita. They had hands up + were seated on the ground. Justice doesnt come from the courts; it comes from our dedication to fight for liberation through hardships. We honor the dead by refusing to give up.”
The DA has ruled that it was “objectively reasonable” to kill Tortuguita. They had hands up + were seated on the ground. Justice doesnt come from the courts; it comes from our dedication to fight for liberation through hardships. We honor the dead by refusing to give up. pic.twitter.com/ZWDtEoZidq
— Defend the Atlanta Forest (@defendATLforest) October 6, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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